The 50th Catholic Herald podcast
was produced this week, just in time for World Communications Day May 13. The
theme, “ ‘The truth will set you free.’ Fake news and journalism for peace,”
was chosen by Pope Francis.
In his message, the pope encourages people to check the source of
what they share on social media to avoid exploiting emotions such as anxiety,
contempt, anger or frustration.
We take that caution seriously at the Catholic
Herald. With our 42-year-old, award-winning print newspaper, our 22
years online with catholicherald.com, our weekly emailed newsletter, and our
many offerings on social media — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes and
Instagram — we build on our history of credibility and thrive on our mission to
inform, inspire and connect Catholics while we share the story of the diocese.
As with the two new diocesan podcasts — Walk Humbly and Searching
for More — the Catholic Herald’s
podcast will benefit from the Catholic Communication Campaign, a second
collection in diocesan parishes May 26-27, where 50 percent of the funds will
come back to enhance local communications initiatives.
Our weekly recap of the top news started about a year and a half
ago as a video, but quickly morphed into the podcast — a quick way to share top
news with our readers and help others unfamiliar with the Catholic Herald find their way to our offerings.
There is a need. Last summer, a small closet in the Catholic Herald newsroom was retrofitted with acoustic
tiles and a battery-operated light to turn it into a coffin-sized studio, which
I gladly sealed myself into to record the podcast.
Now, with a sound mixer and new microphones, we are mobile, moving
from spot to spot to find space with the least amount of background noise and room
to include staff writers to share about their stories, and our podcast
producer, George Goss.
With a new piece of equipment, we can bring speakers to us via a
phone hook-up. Recently we linked in Father José Hoyos, director of the
diocesan Spanish Apostolate, to talk about immigration issues; and Katie
Prejean McGrady, a motivational youth speaker who addressed the recent BASH
gathering of middle schoolers in Arlington.
So settle in on your arduous Northern Virginia commute or while
you’re at the gym, dial us up and have a listen. We’re eager to hear from our
readers, aka listeners. Let us know what you like or don’t like, and what you
would like to hear more about.
Email Multimedia Journalist George Goss, our podcast producer, with
suggestions and feedback at [email protected]. Find the podcast online, on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Music.
